The present invention is directed to a method for stacking boxes on a pallet board. The invention is also directed to a brace useful in such method.
The use of pallet boards as an aid in the shipping of packaged goods is common in all areas of national and international commerce. The great advantage of palletized goods is the ease with which they can be maneuvered about a warehouse and the efficiency with which they can be moved into and out of cargo transport carriers.
With certain cargo, it is highly advantageous to be able to circulate a gaseous mixture among the palletized boxes and/or to be able to exhaust gases away from the palletized boxes. For instance, where the cargo needs to be refrigerated, it is desirable to be able to circulate chilled air among the palletized boxes. Also, where the cargo consists of fruits or vegetables, it is frequently desirable to be able to circulate gaseous ripening agents and/or insecticides among the palletized boxes. Some fruits, such as green bananas, give off a gas while they are in transit. Such gas results from the tendency of the fruit to ripen in the box. The gas will tend to build up and create pressure. Such pressure tends to create heat which in turn tends to accelerate the riping process (and the consequent evolution of gas). Thus, if the gas is not exhausted from among the boxes, the fruit will ripen rapidly and unevenly. Much of the cargo may even overripen and spoil.
Attempts to provide circulation around palletized boxes have been less than totally successful. One such attempt consists of stacking the palletized cargo on a grating which is slightly elevated above a floor. Gases are allowed to flow below the lower-most pallets (those actually sitting upon the grating), but gases are not free to flow among the boxes or along the sides or above the palletized cargo. Other attempts utilize perforated floors, walls and/or ceilings capable of allowing the free flow of gas around the palletized cargo but not around the individual palletized loads nor around the individual boxes. Where the need for ventilation is critical, warehouses and shippers resort to constructing customized bulkheads or shelving within the cargo storage area to separate each palletized load and thereby facilitate the flow of gases around them. Such custom construction is very expensive and does nothing towards ventilating the boxes which are located on the interior of the palletized load.
There is therefore a need for a device and a method for storing palletized cargo which will provide ventilation for all of the palletized boxes.
There is a further need for a device and a method for storing palletized cargo in such a way that individual palletized loads are ventilated, which device and method is less expensive and faster to implement than the construction of customized bulkheads or shelving.